Design of the Week and A Moment of Clarity

Design of the Week and A Moment of Clarity

Hi there

Thanks for popping in. Late blog I know. I got caught up in the moment, doing pottery, smoothing out some pinch pots I have been making in readiness for the Clarity Open Days next week. Well, and before you could say “That’ll do Donkey” – it was 10 o’clock!

They need time to dry out slowly, before they get bisque fired in the kiln. Then I have to wait 2 days before the kiln can be opened, then – and only then – comes the glaze and sea glass, before they are loaded into the kiln for another firing. So if these little fellas are going to the ball (aka the Open Days) they need to dry out before Saturday! If you put them in the kiln when they still have moisture, they usually crack.

In the meantime, the kiln was emptied last night, and it was a pretty good haul. Very pleased!

Doing pottery energizes me like nothing else. I could work in the garage for 8 hours, and think nothing of coming indoors and cracking on with housework and cooking. And whilst I am cooking I am thinking about what’s next to do in the garage!

But work is work, and we have to keep the good ship Clarity afloat! So I can’t be disappearing off to the garage for days on end! Or can I….

This week I thought that I would fire up the old “A Moment of Clarity” bus, and tie it in with the current Design of the Week.

The Design of the Week is where we shine a light on a product and offer them to you with a 30% discount to celebrate our 30th year in business

This week is the wonderful KISS Doodle Tiles, Discs and Framers designed by Tina Cox. I love these little pattern making stamps! So useful!! So I thought this would be the perfect week to do a demo on Facebook LIVE.

Available HERE

A Moment of Clarity is a little LIVE session, where I shine a light on a product during a Facebook / YouTube Live session, sharing inspiration from the design team, together with a little demo full of tips, tricks and techniques from yours truly. If you can’t join me live; you can always watch afterwards.

The bus leaves the depot at 7pm on Friday 2nd June. In fact, I was thinking we might get together with these little Moments of Clarity every couple of weeks. Always on a Friday. Always at 7pm. So often we design really beautiful stamps, Groovi plates , stencils etc, but after a single airing on TV they get mothballed and forgotten. So this is our way of taking another look at them, putting them through their paces. That way, if you bought them when they were launched, you may also remember you’ve got them in your stash! Or you may have missed them altogether, in which case we want to show you them too. Especially when there’s 30% off the Design of the Week (plus club discount!) Barginn!!

For more information, check out our “A Moment of Clarity” section on the website HERE where you will find a downloadable ingredients list, together with the products being used. I shall be showing off the Bijou Ribbon Writing Stamps too.

Here is some inspiration from the design team

So cool. You cannot believe how much design there is packed into these stampsets. Hours and hours of play and art!

Quote for the Day…

Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life

Confucius 

Sue at work said it in a meeting recently, and it really resonated with me. Maybe I’m not such a workaholic after all. Maybe I just love my job so much I don’t think of it as work. Seriously. I certainly enjoyed being in the office today, powering through new ideas and art with the Designers. They keep me young.

I had suggested something to do with new Stencils, and Lisa – brilliant Lisa, who also happens to make all the stencils – disagreed with me. “Fair enough” I said, “You’re making them! Let’s go with what you think”. “Sorry,” she said. “Are you kidding?! Don’t apologise for saying what you think! ”

One of the things I love best about my team (and I do think of them as MY team) is that they aren’t afraid to disagree and put forward ideas. What would be the point of employing people who just tell you what you want to hear, or agree with everything you say? What a total waste of brilliant talent that would be.

You’ll meet us all at the Open Days. Lisa is on the till, Jazz is on refreshments with Linda, Jeannine is our Greeter together with my sister-in-law Sheila, Jim is photographer for the day, Sue and both Debbies are helping our guests, Jilly and Paul are demonstrating and entertaining, together with a whole host of cool talented friends: Tina Cox, Jane Telford, Glynis Whitehead, Sam Crowe, Leonie Pujol, Eileen Godwin, Dawn Wheeler, Hazel Edwards, Sonia Goodliff and Tina Morris. All friends. I like that. And me? I shall be chatting, drinking tea, giving away raffle prizes, keeping an eye on Mum – and selling pottery !! WIGIG!! When it’s gone, it’s definitely gone!! It’s time to practise what I preach, own my art, be proud of it, and put myself out there – with a different hat on.

Right. Time for bed, said Zebedee.

Love always,

Barb x x x

14 thoughts on “Design of the Week and A Moment of Clarity

  1. Did I read this right? You are doing a Clarity Live on the Friday of the Open Days? You are really a glutton for punishment.
    Your pots look wonderful. I will get into the queue as soon as I get there. See you soon. Xxx. Maggie Craner (Silvercrafter)

    1. Just double checked my dates and yet again I got it wrong. You are absolutely right. Now to make sure I can log on at the right time and date. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Ditton. xxx Maggie Craner (Silvercrafter)

  2. Have been checking out the DOTW & realised for once it is something I hadn’t already got because I couldn’t decide which set I needed at the time. Then more new goodies came along & they were sort of forgotten about. The FB live will be a great refresher on what can be done with them so will make sure we have our meal earlier although as I will only be watching not crafting that won’t really matter although at the moment I am in charge of cooking !!
    Your pottery looks great but it must be stressful waiting for the kiln to cool down so you can open it to reveal your latest pieces.

  3. The pottery looks great. Hope there will be some left for Saturday. Looking forward to my first visit to a Clarity Open Day.

  4. All I can say is its about time Mrs. you’ve finally got in the right mind set to own and sell that pottery. Me for one of many are very proud that you’ve finally got there. Can’t wait to purchase a Barb peice. xx

  5. Love your pottery.The colours are lovely especially the pink. Will be watching on Friday night love these moments of clarity always come away having learnt something new. Envious of all the lucky people who are going to the open days who have the chance of buying a piece of Barbara Grey pottery.xx

  6. Hello barb, that pottery is beautiful, and is going to fly I am sure. The design of the week stamps are brilliant, unfortunately have to buy a new washing machine before I buy more craft goodies. Take care everyone. Bx

  7. I lose my breath sometimes at the brilliance of the artwork from such small, simple stamps. Your passion for your pottery is evident and you do have a gift in this field. I’m sure that you won’t be long at the stand before it’s gone. I am envious of the ladies and gents attending. Unfortunately it’s too far for us to drive and public transport isn’t an option these days. I will be thinking of you all and smiling knowing that you will be having a brilliant time.

  8. I have to confess that I haven’t really made much use of these stamps since they arrived! I need to get them back out for a play. Very excited about the Moment of Clarity on Friday and sooo looking forward to the Saturday Open Day (don’t sell all your pots before we get there…!) xxx

  9. I am so pleased that you have ‘found’ pottery and you can take your mind off other things. That is why I started crafting.
    Your pots are beautiful and I look forward to seeing them ‘in the flesh’ on the 9th. Not long now. Take care.

  10. I so want to meet all these Clarity folk who are just names to me . I shall have my name tag on, please come and say hi if you can. Still in the balance whether I can go but ever hopeful. My wonderful daughter in law is going with me and I have to use wheelchair but hey ho, it’s either that or stay at home! Very well done on the pottery,It’s beautiful. So glad your mum can go, I met her last time. All good wishes.xx

  11. Oh yes another ‘moment of clarity’ session. I really do love these sessions as the pace is slower than that of the live TV demos so we can all craft along together. You are spot on when you say we buy all these things and by the time they arrive we’ve forgotten what to do with them so they just get put in cupboard. The design team samples are always good inspiration though. Roll on 7.00pm Friday xx

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